'Check Engine' warning light

Barry · 08-02-2010, 12:46 PM

Gents
Went out on the first ever Ferrari meet in Ireland (at least first I know of) - 10 of us in total, but I'll post a few pics and stuff in a different thread...

One the trip my 'Check Engine' light came on. At one of the stops a fellow owner suggested I turn the battery on and off, which I did and the light disappeared and never returned.

I'm very tempted to forget about it entirely (there was no loss of performance at any time, but interestingly I was using the auto gearbox for the first time ever - as I broke my right collarbone 2 weeks ago!).

Any opinions? Any idea what might of caused it? And most importantly can I forget about it?

Cheers!

Camdon53 · 08-02-2010, 01:37 PM

What you've described sounds fairly normal although probably should not be ignored. Turning off the battery merely cleared the error code from volatile memory in the ECU but did not fix the underlying problem which caused it. Most likely it will return.

It's doubtful transmission "auto mode" had anything to do with the CEL. Much more likely is something related to the emissions system, such as failure of an air injection pump or similar. Some things like that have little affect on drivability and can be fixed when time permits. I suggest driving normally until the CEL returns (if ever) and then take it to a properly qualified & equipped shop for diagnosis of the internally stored code.

agp22 · 08-03-2010, 02:19 PM

Ireland? Rain? My car gives me all sorts of stupid warnings if seriously exposed to rainy weather. Once it deeply drys out, the signs go off.

Barry · 08-03-2010, 02:57 PM

Thanks for the advice Camdon53.

Agp22, was actually a dry day in Ireland for once!!

Gcalo · 08-14-2010, 06:00 PM

Did you purchase gas just before this gathering? If so make sure the gas cap was fully tightened. That can throw CEL's if not fully tightened.

Here's another thing to check if your car has US type emission specs.

There may be an air pump in the rear left of the engine compartment that comes on for a while when the car is cold and first started.

If you have that I'd check to see if it is coming on when the car is cold. If not it could cause a CEL.

Boxer · 08-15-2010, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gcalo

Did you purchase gas just before this gathering? If so make sure the gas cap was fully tightened. That can throw CEL's if not fully tightened.

.

I has a loose gas cap trigger the light on my 360 once.

Barry · 08-15-2010, 02:28 PM

Don't think I've put petrol in since it happened. Must check the cap in the morning. Thanks guys!

08-02-2010, 12:46 PM	#1
Barry Owner Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Europe Ferrari Life Posts: 3,256	'Check Engine' warning light Gents Went out on the first ever Ferrari meet in Ireland (at least first I know of) - 10 of us in total, but I'll post a few pics and stuff in a different thread... One the trip my 'Check Engine' light came on. At one of the stops a fellow owner suggested I turn the battery on and off, which I did and the light disappeared and never returned. I'm very tempted to forget about it entirely (there was no loss of performance at any time, but interestingly I was using the auto gearbox for the first time ever - as I broke my right collarbone 2 weeks ago!). Any opinions? Any idea what might of caused it? And most importantly can I forget about it? Cheers! Barry Ferrari's: 360 Modena F1, 308 GT4 Other Italians: Ducati 916, Ducati 848 DD's: RR Sport, BMW 645ci, BMW 1200GS Adv.

08-02-2010, 01:37 PM	#2
Camdon53 Owner Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Texas, USA Ferrari Life Posts: 71	Probably not critical but.... What you've described sounds fairly normal although probably should not be ignored. Turning off the battery merely cleared the error code from volatile memory in the ECU but did not fix the underlying problem which caused it. Most likely it will return. It's doubtful transmission "auto mode" had anything to do with the CEL. Much more likely is something related to the emissions system, such as failure of an air injection pump or similar. Some things like that have little affect on drivability and can be fixed when time permits. I suggest driving normally until the CEL returns (if ever) and then take it to a properly qualified & equipped shop for diagnosis of the internally stored code. "Fear of guns is a sure sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." -- Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis, 1906.

08-03-2010, 02:19 PM	#3
agp22 Owner Elite Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Ferrari Life Posts: 364	Ireland? Rain? My car gives me all sorts of stupid warnings if seriously exposed to rainy weather. Once it deeply drys out, the signs go off. ... racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting... (Steve McQueen / Le Mans)

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08-03-2010, 02:57 PM	#4
Barry Owner Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Europe Ferrari Life Posts: 3,256	Thanks for the advice Camdon53. Agp22, was actually a dry day in Ireland for once!!

08-14-2010, 06:00 PM	#5
Gcalo Owner Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Ramon, Calif Ferrari Life Posts: 3,613	Did you purchase gas just before this gathering? If so make sure the gas cap was fully tightened. That can throw CEL's if not fully tightened. Here's another thing to check if your car has US type emission specs. There may be an air pump in the rear left of the engine compartment that comes on for a while when the car is cold and first started. If you have that I'd check to see if it is coming on when the car is cold. If not it could cause a CEL.

08-15-2010, 02:28 PM	#7
Barry Owner Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Europe Ferrari Life Posts: 3,256	Don't think I've put petrol in since it happened. Must check the cap in the morning. Thanks guys!